Ebola Threat

[Travelcat2]

 

Great picture. Just noticed your signature. It is correct that you have not as yet sailed on Regent?

[gnomie1]

Agree HanaleiSailor!

 

Since I'm into research, I decided to find out how many passengers from Roll Call are posting on this thread and/or if they expressing concern on Roll Call. the following list has not made any reference to Ebola (that I could find) on Roll Call but discusses the Meet & Greet, Bridge playing, etc. They have not posted on this thread: (forgive misspellings of "names" -- sometimes I can't read my own handwriting:-)

 

calicokat

caribcruzer

Dr.P

eandp

flossie009

golfer21

grapestake

jury1934

jdreyfuss

LadyVol1

SFBill

shrm34

thealohastate

The Hawks

Yellow VW

 

Most of the following posters are on Roll call only - not on this thread but have made 1-3 posts regarding Dakar.

 

alainc10 (2 posts - expressed concern)

BB from CA (will be disappointed if Dakar is removed as a port)

bigboofer (agrees with BB from CA)

Etual324 (posted a couple of links to articles/video)

mrset425 (linked one article about Ebola)

oceannurse - 1 post expressing concern

rmorris (or lrmorris - sorry) - 1 post on Roll Call asking about refueling in Dakar

 

The posters on this thread and Roll Call that appear the most upset with Regent and the stop in Dakar.

 

Cruisin7

Eager2Travel

Kennicott

Responder

Worldtravel7878

 

So, it appears that we have 15 posters that have not expressed an opinion one way or the other. 2 posters that are hoping to go to Dakar. and 1 poster simply asking about refueling in Dakar.

 

Next are 4 posters that have made one or two posts with a concern about Dakar. Finally there are 5 posters that have extreme concerns about going to this port and the lack of response from Regent.

 

Again, sorry for misspellings and if I missed anyone or anything that would change these results, I apologize.

 

Although I am not minimizing the concerns that these five posters have, we are only talking about a handful of people. The rest of the back and forth postings have been from people with opinions (like myself) but not people on this cruise.

 

Just as someone commented that the posting FDR made a few years ago should have been done in private, I suggest that this thread might have caused less problems if it had stayed on Roll Call. My opinion, of course.

 

Thanks for the great laugh - when I first read this post, I actually thought it was a joke and then I realized it was not - Someone needs to go back to school and take remedial research methodology and statistics 101 before trying to "analyze the data"

 

gnomie. :)

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for the great laugh - when I first read this post, I actually thought it was a joke and then I realized it was not - Someone needs to go back to school and take remedial research methodology and statistics 101 before trying to "analyze the data"

 

gnomie. :)

 

This was a simple count - not meant to be anything more or less.

[fizzy]

Clearly the original reason for this thread has long ago been lost. We can only hope that anyone on this cruise is eventually contacted by Regent and it all gets sorted out. The problem here is whoever is in charge there, the golden boys, have done the company a great disservice by not taking charge of this CC debacle. Word gets around...my travel agent is astonished. I hope you believe me when I say this but I believe they have thrown you under the bus. They have let you go on and on, fighting the good fight for Regent and never stepped in to give you a hand. I am often amazed but sincerely believe that Regent is a huge part of your life. Nobody tries harder than you and they didn't have your back. The lack of response from this company to their current and future guests is very stupid. This type of management doesn't have ships sailing full forever when they take their customers for granted. We all know that Silversea and Seabourn are very nice alternatives.

[computerworks]

Great picture. Just noticed your signature. It is correct that you have not as yet sailed on Regent?

 

I have booked and cancelled two Regent cruises...does that count?

 

I will be sailing on the Navigator to Alaska in May.. so i can then claim first hand experience.

[Mjflowers]

Agree HanaleiSailor!

 

Since I'm into research, I decided to find out how many passengers from Roll Call are posting on this thread and/or if they expressing concern on Roll Call. the following list has not made any reference to Ebola (that I could find) on Roll Call but discusses the Meet & Greet, Bridge playing, etc. They have not posted on this thread: (forgive misspellings of "names" -- sometimes I can't read my own handwriting:-)

 

calicokat

caribcruzer

Dr.P

eandp

flossie009

golfer21

grapestake

jury1934

jdreyfuss

LadyVol1

SFBill

shrm34

thealohastate

The Hawks

Yellow VW

 

Most of the following posters are on Roll call only - not on this thread but have made 1-3 posts regarding Dakar.

 

alainc10 (2 posts - expressed concern)

BB from CA (will be disappointed if Dakar is removed as a port)

bigboofer (agrees with BB from CA)

Etual324 (posted a couple of links to articles/video)

mrset425 (linked one article about Ebola)

oceannurse - 1 post expressing concern

rmorris (or lrmorris - sorry) - 1 post on Roll Call asking about refueling in Dakar

 

The posters on this thread and Roll Call that appear the most upset with Regent and the stop in Dakar.

 

Cruisin7

Eager2Travel

Kennicott

Responder

Worldtravel7878

 

So, it appears that we have 15 posters that have not expressed an opinion one way or the other. 2 posters that are hoping to go to Dakar. and 1 poster simply asking about refueling in Dakar.

 

Next are 4 posters that have made one or two posts with a concern about Dakar. Finally there are 5 posters that have extreme concerns about going to this port and the lack of response from Regent.

 

Again, sorry for misspellings and if I missed anyone or anything that would change these results, I apologize.

 

Although I am not minimizing the concerns that these five posters have, we are only talking about a handful of people. The rest of the back and forth postings have been from people with opinions (like myself) but not people on this cruise.

 

Just as someone commented that the posting FDR made a few years ago should have been done in private, I suggest that this thread might have caused less problems if it had stayed on Roll Call. My opinion, of course.

 

:confused::confused::confused:

[Mjflowers]

I now am aware that my comments are being counted on a public board and presented in a summary. My partication on a roll call is being scrutinized. Perhaps I was naive to not realize this could occur but it leaves me uncomfortable. I think It is time for me to stop posting.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help and support.

 

When you're scrutinized 12 hours + a day in the name of research, what do you expect? It must get boring, gotta come up with something.

Considering the sources, I wouldn't worry to much. :rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

:confused::confused::confused:

 

Not sure why you find this confusing. It is a simple counting of people on Roll Call that are concerned about stopping in Dakar and those that are not.

 

I have a feeling that Responder may not be so happy that he started this thread -- especially since he only wanted to hear from people on the cruise.

 

Eager2Travel, I really do understand your concerns even though we see things differently. If this thread had not been started, I would not have bothered looking at your Roll Call. This thread brought your Roll Call into the spotlight. Had I not read it, I wouldn't know how many people on the Roll Call seem more interested in the Meet and Greet and playing Bridge than stopping in Senegal. For your sake, I hope they drop the port and that this thread will end so you can go forward and enjoy your cruise. It is a shame that all of this was brought to light.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Help@
name removal

[fizzy]

I have a feeling that Responder may not be so happy that he started this thread -- especially since he only wanted to hear from people on the cruise. QUOTE

 

I have a feeling that Responder would not have had to start this thread if he could have gotten some straight answers from a company that he has invested a great deal of money in. I am hoping that Kevin S. is taking note.......for the future.

Edited September 18, 2014 by fizzy

[jongbj]

I have a feeling that Responder may not be so happy that he started this thread -- especially since he only wanted to hear from people on the cruise. QUOTE

 

I have a feeling that Responder would not have had to start this thread if he could have gotten some straight answers from a company that he has invested a great deal of money in. I am hoping that Kevin S. is taking note.......for the future.

 

The way I read it: Responder started this thread because he only wanted to hear from people on the cruise who would share is his views.

Any rational decision making was out of the window the minute the thread started and arguments were only accepted if they would support the opinion that Regent is wrong and Dakar is unsafe. All other arguments are dismissed for being unsupportive.

[Responder]

The way I read it: Responder started this thread because he only wanted to hear from people on the cruise who would share is his views.

Any rational decision making was out of the window the minute the thread started and arguments were only accepted if they would support the opinion that Regent is wrong and Dakar is unsafe. All other arguments are dismissed for being unsupportive.

 

I'm not sure I understand your post, but this is what I had in mind.

 

I didn't start the roll call thread that began may 30 2013, but because I'm on that cruise, I began to get involved around Aug 19 when it was mentioned that the US Basketball teal cancelled their visit to Senegal due to the rising Ebola threat. Let's just accept this for what it is.

 

Then numerous posts began to appear that got lots of people involved. Someone else did the math and will give you all the pernmutations of how many responded.

 

I then figured that perhaps the main CC board would offer greater exposure, I then opened a thread there...the thrust of that being that we wanted Regent to get involved and keep us informed as to how they viewed the situation.

 

We posted any information that became available on the news sites, and forwarded these to Regent, again hoping they would respond. Nope.

 

So as we kept trying to get Regent's attention, some people came on and posted their thoughts. This was not bad until a certain prolific poster decided that she was going to be the voice of Regent. In that process, she issued legal threats, became an expert in the field of communicative diseases, and summed up by informing us that Regent has no obligation to respond to any of the issues and that we should blindly trust them to do what's best for us.

She went to great lengths to tell us how to feel and how to react about the Ebola threat as she wasn't concerned....that if she were on the ship, she would get off and hug all the people to show that we love them.

 

I suppose that after most of us on that cruise became quite upset, the posts really began raging.

Then to cap it off, she instructed us that if we had kept all the information to ourselves on the roll call thread, she would have never made even one comment.

 

After I then quickly ran to my wine cellar for a bottle of wine, and this was 10am in the morning, I found it difficult to contain myself. :)

 

I do thank those of you who tried to help our cause with your posts but as you found out, we are up against a formidable opponent.

 

I think the major fault lies with Regent as they to this moment haven't had the decency to offer a response, but I don't think we all buy into the idea that Regent has no need to respond to their customers who spend maybe $800-1000 day...myself having done so for over 10 years. I think they will see some major changes with or without NCL...at least with myself and a few others we know. At this moment, they are not a class act.

.

[pingpong1]

Responder - I think you summed it up quite well and quite accurately. Regards.

[Travelcat2]

Responder: Just a couple of comments. I never claimed to know anything about Ebola -- my posts regarding the transmission, threat, etc. were all links to or references to articles.

 

While I read your Roll Call, I did not post on it. When people on Roll Call appeared to be threatening Regent (going to the media if they do not give you a response) it caused me concern. What I posted was basically a suggestion to not go to the media. There was a basis for my suggestion but instead of just thinking about consequences, my comment took on a life of its own. The suggestion was meant to be helpful.

 

IMO, this thread has brought posters that are not on the cruise, are not necessarily current Regent customers but were willing to jump in and bash Regent. I am obviously one of the posters not on the cruise. I posted articles supporting my position as there were enough articles supporting your position. Had some of the bashing not occurred and different points of view had been allowed to stand (or refuted in a calm way), this could have been an informative thread. I believe that anyone that posts on the general board and asks only for responses from people on the cruise should expect to get opinions from many posters.

 

People all have their own opinions. It would be nice if all views could be expressed without angry responses.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Responder]

Responder: Just a couple of comments. I never claimed to know anything about Ebola -- my posts regarding the transmission, threat, etc. were all links to or references to articles.

 

While I read your Roll Call, I did not post on it. When people on Roll Call appeared to be threatening Regent (going to the media if they do not give you a response) it caused me concern. What I posted was basically a suggestion to not go to the media. There was a basis for my suggestion but instead of just thinking about consequences, my comment took on a life of its own. The suggestion was meant to be helpful.

 

IMO, this thread has brought posters that are not on the cruise, are not necessarily current Regent customers but were willing to jump in and bash Regent. I am obviously one of the posters not on the cruise. I posted articles supporting my position as there were enough articles supporting your position. Had some of the bashing not occurred and different points of view had been allowed to stand (or refuted in a calm way), this could have been an informative thread. I believe that anyone that posts on the general board and asks only for responses from people on the cruise should expect to get opinions from many posters.

 

People all have their own opinions. It would be nice if all views could be expressed without angry responses.

.

 

Had you posted in the manner of this post, things would have been more calm.

 

True, you posted links to the articles, but then tried to interpret them. Remember, the feelings and fears of the people on this cruise are the ones that count. It's difficult to try to tell someone how to feel, regardless of your interpretation of the information.

 

I still don't understand your concern when we wanted to make the information we read public. As we both stated for years, we both like Regent or we certainly wouldn't be spending what we do to go with them. The difference is that I don't represent or work for Regent and when they disappoint me, it is my perogative to call them to the table. I have no obligation to communicate with or about them in any way except as a paying customer. I expect your legal threat posting was a knee jerk reaction and you became emotional over it. I don't understand why, as Regent should be able to take care of themselves. Because their customer support doesn't work shouldn't be a call for us to protect them. Rather it should be a call for them to wake up when they read what customers are thinking.

 

To sum up...many of us..could be up to 700 if the ship is full, are concerned about the Ebola threat and see no reason to be made uncomfortable and distressed by the need to visit one particular port, especially since it precludes stopping in the next port. In past years both Regent and other lines have skipped or re-scheduled ports for various reasons and I never heard that it went to the Supreme Court for a trial.

 

I'm surprised that Regent is not mature enough to recognize this and hadn't offered an immediate and continuing update commentary. You can be sure that it would have been cheaper in manpower as well as creating all the ill will it has caused, to have popped out an update from time to time.

[Travelcat2]

.

 

Had you posted in the manner of this post, things would have been more calm.

 

True, you posted links to the articles, but then tried to interpret them. Remember, the feelings and fears of the people on this cruise are the ones that count. It's difficult to try to tell someone how to feel, regardless of your interpretation of the information.

 

I still don't understand your concern when we wanted to make the information we read public. As we both stated for years, we both like Regent or we certainly wouldn't be spending what we do to go with them. The difference is that I don't represent or work for Regent and when they disappoint me, it is my perogative to call them to the table. I have no obligation to communicate with or about them in any way except as a paying customer. I expect your legal threat posting was a knee jerk reaction and you became emotional over it. I don't understand why, as Regent should be able to take care of themselves. Because their customer support doesn't work shouldn't be a call for us to protect them. Rather it should be a call for them to wake up when they read what customers are thinking.

 

.

 

If we ever meet in person (which would definitely would be interesting in many ways:-), I will explain my comment. In this instance, I was definitely not trying to protect Regent but was concerned about you (I am saying this with all sincerity).

 

I really have posted when I've been disappointed in either Regent headquarters or on the ship. Perhaps people forget that. I'll certainly try to keep my tone a little calmer and hope that others will do the same.

[journeyfan]

In the past, both FDR and Kamlani have frequently posted comments on CC. Neither one, to my knowledge, has posted here since the announced proposed merger with NCL. Could the reason be that a condition of the impending sale requires their silence? Like some others, I find the lack of a response from Regent management on this issue surprising.

[Travelcat2]

In the past, both FDR and Kamlani have frequently posted comments on CC. Neither one, to my knowledge, has posted here since the announced proposed merger with NCL. Could the reason be that a condition of the impending sale requires their silence? Like some others, I find the lack of a response from Regent management on this issue surprising.

 

Maybe you are thinking of the Oceania board. FDR has only posted a couple of times on the Regent board in the past year. Mr. Kamlani not many more times. Doubtful that it has anything to do with the impending sale other than they are probably quite busy.

 

Someone did say that the port issue will be announced next week -- presumably to TA's and customers. This is how we always learn of port changes. I cannot recall a port or itinerary change being announced on Cruise Critic.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Boreus]

"In Senegal, one person, who travelled by road from Guinea to Dakar on 20 August, tested positive for Ebola on 27 August. 74 contacts are being followed-up, none of whom have tested positive for EVD so far." That quote is taken from the World Health Organization Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report,18 September 2014, and suggests that in Senegal at least the Ebola situation is little changed from the report of September 5 when 67 contacts were being followed. The only Ebola case reported in Senegal is the one person who came from Guinea. The full text of the latest WHO report can be found at http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/133833/1/roadmapsitrep4_eng.pdf?ua=1.

[Responder]

I just ran across this...I wonder if it applies to us as well..

 

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/senegal/passport-visa

[Travelcat2]

I just ran across this...I wonder if it applies to us as well..

 

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/senegal/passport-visa

 

Don't think so since you are not coming from an "endemic" area. If you were going from Cape Verde to Senegal, it would be a different story. I find this interesting. Cape Verde apparently has one set of issues and Senegal another.

[redmaid]

We have already received notification from Regent that visas are now required for Senegal. These will be arranged on board by Regent with no cost to ourselves.

[HanaleiSailor]

Hi Redmaid,

 

Just out of curiosity, has Regent yet given passengers any news on an itinerary change in light of the recent travel restrictions put in place by one of the countries on one of your port calls?

 

Aloha, Mark.

Edited September 20, 2014 by HanaleiSailor

[Responder]

Interesting that this article I read was the very first about needing a visa for Senegal.

 

We haven't heard a word from Regent about it, or whether we are even going to stop there.

[Responder]

Here is another article that makes one wonder when or if Regent will wake up....

 

================

 

Ebola could infect 500,000 by end of January, according to CDC projection

 

 

 

By Lena H. Sun September 19 at 6:40 PM

 

The Ebola epidemic sweeping West Africa could infect up to 500,000 people by the end of January, according to a new estimate under development by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

The report is scheduled to be released next week, but work on it is still ongoing and projections could change, said a person who is familiar with its contents but was not authorized to speak because the report is not yet public.

 

The CDC projection assumes no additional aid by governments and relief agencies. But the United States this week launched a $750 million effort to establish treatment facilities with 1,700 beds in Liberia, the hardest hit country. And the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to create an emergency medical mission to respond to the outbreak, with an advance team in West Africa by the end of the month.

 

“CDC is working on a dynamic modeling tool that allows for recalculations of projected Ebola cases over time,” Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an e-mail. “CDC expects to release this interactive tool and a description of its use soon.”

 

The CDC projection was first reported by Bloomberg News.

 

The Ebola epidemic over time.

 

The World Health Organization said last month that the outbreak could reach 20,000 cases before it is brought under control. But infectious disease experts, aid officials and global health advocates said cases are increasing so rapidly that the total number is almost certain to be much higher, especially in the worst-affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

 

On Friday, the streets of Sierra Leone’s capital city of Freetown were uncharacteristically empty as the government began a controversial three-day lockdown in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly virus. Only law enforcement personnel, security officials and a handful of others deemed “essential” by the government are allowed on the streets during that time — and only with a government-issued pass, the Guardian reported. Researchers have been using different models in an attempt to predict the size of the outbreak, but the complexity and magnitude of the current epidemic poses additional challenges.

 

Previous outbreaks have been in rural areas and were brought under control using a relatively straightforward strategy of isolating and treating infected patients and contact tracing — finding everyone who comes into direct contact with a person, watching for signs of illness, and then isolating and treating them.

 

But now that the disease has spread to the large cities and urban areas, cases are doubling in about three weeks, U.N. officials said Thursday.

 

“One of the scary things about this outbreak is that all the general models of the past have been broken,” said John Connor, associate professor of microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine and investigator at the university’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories.

 

He said there is no way to know how many people will be infected in the future, because there are too many variables. “That’s like asking whether it’s going to be sunny a month from now,” he said.

 

“I’m really worried that no one has a handle on everything that’s happened,” he said. “Do we know all the places where there’s been virus present?”

Millions of people in Sierra Leone are preparing for a three-day nationwide lockdown, which aims to curb the spread of Ebola and allow health workers to share information and calm fears about the virus. (Reuters)

 

Alessandro Vespignani, a Northeastern University physicist, has looked at the outbreak and studied the response on the ground. He has worked on a model to estimate the growth of the disease, and by the end of this month, he has said, the epidemic could get much worse — as in, “thousands and thousands of cases” worse. Vespignani and his colleagues project between 6,000 and 10,000 Ebola cases by late September.

 

“These predictions are like the weather forecast,” Vespignani said. “These are statistical predictions. So you have uncertainty cones.”

 

Vespignani’s model assumes that response to the deadly virus stays the same, that the picture of the event remains unchanged. It assumes there will not be increased medical attention and that the spread of Ebola will continue.

 

As of Sunday, the WHO said the virus had infected 5,357 people and killed 2,630. In addition to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the disease has spread to Nigeria and Senegal. WHO officials said those numbers vastly underreport the true number of cases.

 

Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, who has been speaking with health workers and officials in the region, said that the cumulative number of cases will probably reach 250,000 by Christmas unless the U.S. plan provides for immediate measures that lead to long-term escalations in supplies, logistics support, air shipments and personnel on the ground in West Africa.

 

Joel Achenbach and Sarah Larimer contributed to this report.

[crusin7]

Hi Redmaid,

 

Just out of curiosity, has Regent yet given passengers any news on an itinerary change in light of the recent travel restrictions put in place by one of the countries on one of your port calls?

 

Aloha, Mark.

 

Hi Mark. There has been absolutely no communication from Regents on this matter. They sent a letter on Thursday to tell us that we still needed our yellow fever vaccination's. If not the yellow fever vaccination we need a doctors waiver for medical reasons. As of yesterday Regents still states Senegal is a go. They said we would be able to dock in Cape Verde also. :eek: